Trailer Park Boys talk Christmas, Weed and Going to Jail

For seven seasons, the dope-growing, shopping cart-stealing, ex-con trio of Ricky, Julian and Bubbles had their misadventures caught on camera for the hit mockumentary series Trailer Park Boys. Originally airing on Canada’s Showcase network, the cult hit spun-off two feature films, 2006’s Trailer Park Boys: The Movie and 2009’s Trailer Park Boys: Countdown to Liquor Day, before returning this year with an eighth season, now on Netflix, and a third movie, Don’t Legalize It.

Last seen in West Michigan on their sold out “Drunk, High and Unemployed Tour,” the boys from Sunnyvale have hit the road again, this time to spread some Christmas cheer, reluctantly teaming with their liquor-laden arch-nemeses trailer park supervisor Jim Lahey and Randy for the “Dear Santa Claus, Go Fuck Yourself” Tour.

Recoil got to talk with Ricky and Bubbles via phone last month about celebrating Christmas in jail, legalizing marijuana and just how in the fuck they plan to keep the peace this holiday season.

Recoil: So, this time you’re on tour with Randy and Lahey. What has it been like dealing with those two guys on the road?

Ricky: It’s a nightmare. I didn’t even know they were coming. It’s probably not going to go well…

Bubbles: Ricky, I will explain it to you later, but yes, they will probably be there.

R: You guys have spent a lot of holidays away from the park when you’ve been in jail. What’s it like celebrating Christmas in jail?

Ricky: Christmas in jail is not that bad. You eat really well; there’s a lot of food and stuff, and a lot of good parties. You get to play hockey and video games. The guards pretty much let you do what you want at Christmas, in Canada anyway. I don’t know about down there.

R: How about you, Bubbles, what does Christmas mean to you?

Bubbles: Oh Christmas, I love Christmas. It’s one of my favorite times of the year. I like putting up lights, and building things, Christmas-y things, and making it looking Christmas-y. I love all that; I just don’t like the pressure that’s put on you to spend all the money. I don’t have that kind of money.

R: Do you do anything special for your kitties at Christmas time?

Bubbles: Oh absolutely. I build these little hats that we all wear. I give them extra treats, Christmas treats, and things like that.

R: Which kitty have you had the longest?

Bubbles: I still have Vince the Pince. He’s my oldest kitty. I had him back… He’s getting up there in age. He went to jail with me. He’s the one with the little lobster foot.

R: Do you have anybody looking after them this time while you’re out on the road?

Bubbles: Oh yeah, I have a whole system of people in place to look after my kitties now. I’ve got a little Mexican fella named Lupe who’s very good.

R: Ricky, now that you’re a granddad, will you be telling your grandchild the story of Santa Claus?

Ricky: Yeah, I want to tell them all about Santa Jesus God, just like my dad taught me, and yeah, just keep the tradition going.

R: Do you have any tactics for how you’re going to keep the liquor away from Lahey on the tour?

Ricky: Well, that’s pretty much impossible, in my experience anyway. So I don’t know; I’m just going to have to drink through it, and smoke through it and hopefully it’ll be not too crazy.

R: What has it been like dealing with those Swearnet guys filming you all the time?

Ricky: It’s not as bad as the last guys, but it still sucks, you know what I’m saying. You’re trying to sleep and you’ve got the cameras always in your face. You never know when they’re going to sneak up and start rolling the cameras. They make me look stupid, which I’m not. I’m the smartest guy in the park. But the way they make me come across is dumb.

R: Is that still more of Julian’s doing? Does he still like having them around?

Ricky: Oh, he loves it. He loves showing off. He wants to be one of those big TV stars I guess. Clint Easterweird or one of those guys. He just loves showing off his big muscles.

R: What do you think about people trying to legalize marijuana both here in the U.S. and back home in Canada? Are you for or against it?

Ricky: It’s kind of a catch 23 because it’s sort of what I do. It’s definitely going to affect my living, I guess, but it’s good because you’ve got all the different types. I like that part of it. Hopefully if I can work for it then it will be all right.

R: Which country has the better weed, America or Canada?

Ricky: It definitely used to be Canada, but now that you’ve got a couple of provinces, or states or whatever you call it, legalizing it, I think that you guys are probably doing better than we are now. I might have to move down there.

R: One last question, if you guys could ask for anything for Christmas from Santa Claus, what would you ask for?

Ricky: I’d probably ask for a million dollars… not even a million dollars, a hundred thousand… ten thousand dollars just so that I can be retired and spend time with my family and not have to break the law anymore and just drink and have a good time with my family and friends.

Bubbles: I’d ask for maybe a real space suit, like an actual space suit from NASA. I’ve been trying to get into the program down there for years, so maybe if I had my own suit that would help.

Editor’s Note:Actors Robb Wells (Ricky) and Mike Smith (Bubbles) conducted this interview in character. For more on their other projects with Trailer Park Boys co-star John Paul Tremblay (Julian), check out swearnet.com.

DECEMBER 2014 PRINT EDITION

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